


Avatar: The Revival of the White Lotus

by Azak Okuhir (thepiesandthebees)



Series: Avatar Sahul and the New Order [1]
Category: Avatar (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, New Avatar, Post-Korra Avatar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-03-13 09:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3377057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepiesandthebees/pseuds/Azak%20Okuhir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Benders and non-benders once lived peacefully, but when the Purists declared war on all non-benders, everything fell to chaos. Only Avatar Sahul can bring peace again, but he has to master all four elements first—with the most unlikely of teachers. They were called monsters, ruthless killers out to hunt unsuspecting people in the night: a demon of earth, a siren of water, a fury of air, and a phantom of fire. They would be the avatar’s teachers, his path to restore balance to the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Fall of the Order: Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This work was written by myself with the collaboration of three of my friends. Not all ideas are mine, but all the writing is.
> 
> Obviously, this isn't a TV show, so I'm putting the chapters into parts that, collectively, you can think of as one episode.

BOOK ONE: AWAKENING

Fire

She burns in the dark,

her flames without light,

not even a spark,

a phantom of night.

 

Air

He rages like a storm

with gusts craving attack

and winds a blinding swarm,

his fury dyed black.

 

Water

She flows into the heart,

slowly turning to ice,

prepared to rip apart,

wielding the siren’s vice.

 

Earth

He stands immobile

with mountains of red

from deeds ignoble,

across the stone they shred.

#

“I’m sixteen today,” Sahul whispered to his parents, but they couldn’t hear him. They had died long ago. Still, Sahul took solace in declaring his age to the sky on his birthdays, as if to reassure both his parents and himself that he had lived through another year.

He pulled the hood of his cloak further over his head and stared up at the dark blue sky for the first time in what seemed like eons. Gold lights filled the night. The tiny orbs were no larger than marbles, drifting through the air on frigid winds. They illuminated the dirty streets of Ba Sing Se’s slums and made the worn, faded houses seem to glow with a vibrancy long lost. Wrapped in tattered jackets, the people went about their business. Steam and the scent of grilled meats drifted out from the restaurants. Laughter and idle chatter filled the air.

Sahul was overwhelmed with the smells and sounds and sights. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been outside. The change in scenery was as terrifying as it was exhilarating. This was the real world where there were no masters watching Sahul’s every move, deciding everything for him, lecturing him constantly. And this was the year that he would finally be free.

He breathed in the air, watching the orbs float higher into the sky until they were indistinguishable from the stars. They were spirits who had settled into this area for some reason. Sahul could feel their energy like waves of warmth over his skin and drew in a breath. A group of orbs broke away from the mass to float to him, dancing around his body and nuzzling his face and arms. He chuckled and let them caress his frostbitten hands and cheeks.

“Spirits don’t like many people,” a high-pitched voice said.

Sahul looked down to see a little girl. She didn’t look older than eight. Dirt spotted her face and clothes, which were too baggy for her slight figure. The bangs of her dark hair fell into bright, green eyes.

“No, they don’t,” Sahul agreed.

She looked at the spirits dancing around him. “They like you.”

Sahul smiled slightly. “I suppose they do.”

“Are you special?”

“I suppose I am.”

She seemed to think his words over a moment before saying, “I’m Huifang.”

“I’m Sahul.” He flattened his hand as a spirit nudged his fingers. It settled into his palm, casting light over his dark skin.

“You’re not from around here, are you, Sahul?”

He stiffened. The spirit in his palm jumped up, but as soon as he forced himself to relax, it fell into his hand again. “What gave me away?”

Huifang looked him over with a careful eye. “Your clothes.”

“Something wrong with them?”

“They’re too clean.”

Sahul looked down at himself. The plain green and brown outfit he wore wasn’t eye-catching in any way, but the girl was right. His clothes were much cleaner than any of the people’s around him. He pulled his cloak closer to him with his free hand. “I just washed them,” he lied.

She cocked her head to one side, a curious look on her face. “Maybe the spirits like clean clothes.”

He chuckled. “I don’t think that’s it.” He held out his hand to her, and the spirit in it rolled to the tips of his fingers. “Want to try holding it?”

Huifang held out her hands, and Sahul gently rolled the tiny orb off his fingers. It plopped into her hands and stayed there. A broad grin broke across her face. “It’s warm,” she said in awe.

Sahul smiled, amused by the innate fascination with nature that all children seemed to have.

A loud crash sounded down the street. Sahul looked up to see a group of men and women surrounding a store front. A produce stand had been knocked over, and the shopkeeper stood shaking in his doorway.

“Huifang, get home quickly,” Sahul said. When she gave him a petulant look, he added, “I need you to keep the spirits safe. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded dutifully and scurried away. The orbs of light followed her. Sahul drew nearer to the group who were antagonizing the shop owner, sliding into the cover of an alley nearby where he could assess the situation. There were four of them in total—two women, two men. Sahul’s attention went to the woman who had the shopkeeper by the collar of his shirt. Her black hair was cut short, and the dark green outfit she wore hugged her slender figure. “Where’s our money, old man?” she asked in a deceptively calm voice.

The shopkeeper shook in fear. “Please have mercy. It was all stolen last week by the bandits that went through here.”

The woman arched a brow. “I don’t care. You owe us money.” She glanced back at the rest of her group. “Take what you can find.”

When the group started moved to go into the shop, Sahul cursed and stepped out. It was stupid to intervene. He was supposed to keep a low profile when he went outside, but he couldn’t just watch a bunch of thugs ransack a shop. “Hey!” he called out.

The group looked back at him curiously. “Mind your own business, boy,” the woman said with an apathetic expression.

Sahul cocked a brow. “Are you really so short on cash that you’d steal from the elderly?”

She glared at him. “I won’t ask you again. Mind your own business.”

“Asking usually requires a question. Or is that stick shoved so far up your ass that it’s stabbing your brain?”

“Wise guy, huh?” A corner of her lips twitched. “You think you can take all of us?”

The shopkeeper stared at Sahul with wide eyes. “Just go. It’s not worth it.”

Sahul took a stance, hands held up with their backs facing his opponents. “Deal with the boy,” the woman ordered.

The group descended on Sahul all at once. He settled his weight into the earth, feeling its steady strength beneath his feet. One of them charged directly, coming up the center. Sahul thrust his hands out while grounding himself. A pillar of earth burst out in front of him, knocking the man back into the produce stand. The other two went for Sahul’s flanks. One slammed her fists into the ground, sending a wave of earth at Sahul. He jumped away from the attack and rolled to his feet. The hood of his cloak fell off his head.

The man opened a flask at his belt and drew out a tendril of water, which solidified into cones of ice. Sahul held his hands out to the earth beneath him and pulled them up. A wall of rock defended him from the ice. He slammed his foot down and settled into stance again. With a thrust of his hands against the wall, it went flying back into the waterbender, knocking him down.

The earthbender raised a stone from the ground and flung it at Sahul. He sidestepped it, pulled it into his grasp, and directed its momentum around himself. The earthbender paled as he sent the rock flying back at her. She didn’t raise her wall in time to block the hit. It knocked her to the ground where she stayed.

Sahul turned to the remaining group member. The woman looked at him curiously. She’d let go of the shopkeeper who sat huddled on the ground. Her gray eyes bored into Sahul. “All right, boy,” she said. “You win this time.” She stepped over the groaning form of her colleague.

Sahul tensed when she walked closer, but she didn’t get too close.

“Who are you?” she asked.

A corner of his lips turned up. “The guy who just kicked your ass.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, a slight smile at her lips. Sahul shivered involuntarily under her gaze. “Until next time, then,” she said and walked away.

Sahul went to the shopkeeper and helped him to his feet. “Are you okay, sir?”

The old man nodded. “Thank you, m’boy.”

Sahul had just opened his mouth to reply when a familiar, hard voice growled, “What happened here?”

He turned. A middle-aged woman with striking green eyes stood in the midst of the deformed street. Her green and brown robe was as plain as Sahul’s, and the dark green cloak covering her head and the majority of her body was nearly identical. Strands of black, wavy hair spilled out from her hood and over her shoulders. She sighed, brought her arms close to her chest, then thrust her hands out to the sides. The street evened out.

“This young man saved me,” the shopkeeper said with a smile.

Sahul pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and bowed his head. “Is that right?” the woman said. She walked up to the shopkeeper and dropped a bag of coins into his hand.“For the damages.”

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened. “This is far too much.”

“It’s also for your silence.” She glanced angrily at Sahul before saying, “You never saw this boy or me. Is that understood?”

“I… I guess so.”

“Good.” She pulled Sahul away. He obediently walked with her. “What were you thinking, Sahul?”

He glanced back at the fading lights of the market. “Is breathing fresh air so much to ask for on my birthday?”

She let out a tired breath. “And what if you’d been recognized?”

“I haven’t been seen in almost nine years. Who could recognize me?”

“This isn’t a game, Sahul. If you’re discovered, we can’t guarantee your safety.”

He grimaced and bowed his head. “I’m supposed to start my training on the other elements now. I’ll have to go out then.”

She didn’t reply immediately, looking troubled. “That’s not for another month. Right now, you just need to stay safe.”

He had no reply. They turned through the streets until they came to a rundown tea shop. There were no customers, and the man behind the counter didn’t so much as glance up when they walked in. He only sipped his tea and read the small book in his hands quietly as they passed him into the back. On the other side of the kitchen was a door that led to a room the size of a broom cupboard. They went in and closed the door. A light embedded into the ceiling flicked on.

“Mai,” Sahul said softly to the woman, “will I get to see my sister after I’m done with training?”

Her hand stopped midway to the metal lever in the wall. “I don’t know.” She pulled the lever down, and the floor descended slowly. Sahul looked up as the lightbulb in the ceiling grew smaller and smaller. By the time the elevator stopped moving, the light was a speck in the dark.

Mai opened the door and stepped out. Sahul reluctantly followed her. The last compound of the Order of the White Lotus was a spacious, underground facility that consisted of an underground railway, a gym, twenty-seven living chambers, and a library. Mai Beifong was one of the twenty-six remaining members of the White Lotus and Sahul’s favorite earthbending teacher. She was also the only friend he’d had in the past nine years.

Her gaze was sympathetic as she watched Sahul walk into the spacious antechamber. The room was made entirely of green marble. The floor was a glossy ellipse surrounded by three rings of steps. Four archways dotted the walls, each leading to a different section of the compound.

A man emerged from the archway on the far right. Mai shoved Sahul behind her and fanned her cloak out, pretending to analyze an imaginary imperfection. “Oh, Beifong,” the man greeted. “Still looking for Sahul? I bet he’s hiding in the library again.”

She picked at her cloak and chuckled. “You’re probably right. I’ll look there next.”

“Get something caught in your cloak?”

“A little stain. Hope I can get it out.”

“Ah, good luck.” The man walked away. Mai lowered her cloak and glanced back at Sahul. “Don’t you think you should change into clean clothes before someone asks where you’ve been rolling around?”

Sahul gave Mai a grateful look and hurried through the third archway. It led into a tunnel with more green marble. Sconces lined the walls, casting gold light through the space. Sahul ran to the end of the tunnel, passing various doors to the Order’s members’ private chambers. He pushed the door of his room open.

A desk sat off to the side, covered in papers and books. The brown sheets of his bed hung messily off the sides. In the right corner, a mirror hung beside a plain white dresser. Sahul closed his door and walked up to the dresser. He shed his clothes, tucked them in the bag of dirty laundry hanging on the side of the dresser, and changed into a fresh tunic and trousers. A knock came at his door just as he closed his dresser drawer. A man walked in.

He was in his late sixties, but held himself tall. His gray hair was tied back in a bun, and his beard had been trimmed in an angular style. Brown eyes filled with warmth and wisdom scanned the room. The white and blue robes he wore marked him as a member of the White Lotus, but most of the members preferred to wear casual, earth kingdom attire since they often had to leave the compound for work. At one time, members of the Order wore their uniforms proudly, but now, they had to hide.

“So you were hiding in your room the entire time,” the man said with an amused smile. “Beifong has been looking all over for you.”

“Oh...uh, sorry, Sifu Myung,” Sahul muttered. “Did she need me for something?”

“Well, actually, I told her to find you. I wanted to speak with you about what it means that you’re sixteen now.”

“Oh, no. You’re not going to lecture me on girls, are you? Zhong already gave me the talk. I’d rather not repeat it.”

Myung chuckled and sat on the desk chair, then gestured for Sahul to sit on the bed. Sahul sat at the foot of his bed and faced the Order’s leader. “We’ve been keeping you safe for the past nine years from a terrorist organization called the Purists,” Myung said. “I’m sure Beifong has taught you about them.”

Sahul nodded. “They want to eliminate all non-benders. Something about having a pure people.”

“Yes, but there’s more to it than that. The Purists wanted to take you away from your family in order to raise you to be their weapon, and now that they haven’t, I fear they may try to kill you, so they can try again with a new avatar.” Myung frowned, seemingly distressed by the thought. “The Order has nearly been wiped out by the Purists. We don’t have any more members besides the ones in this compound, and anyone who associates themselves with us is risking their life. Because of this, we’ve been struggling to find you teachers for the other elements. There’s not many masters willing to risk their lives to help you.”

Sahul’s heart sank. “So...I won’t be leaving the compound to continue my training?”

“Not until we find people willing to teach you.” Myung’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry, Sahul. I know you were looking forward to leaving.”

“Great,” Sahul muttered. “I’ll never see the sun again.”

Myung had a sympathetic look. “I know it hasn’t been easy for you to live in the compound this long, but if you wait just a little longer, I’m sure things will work out.”

Sahul sighed in resignation. “Yeah.”

Myung stood and clasped Sahul’s shoulder. “You’re going to be a great avatar one day.”

“Thank you, Sifu.”

Myung nodded and started for the door, but stopped before he stepped out. “Oh, and one other thing, Sahul.” He turned around. “Next time you sneak out, do remember to clean the dirt from your hair and face upon your return.”

Sahul jumped up and walked over to his mirror. Flecks of dirt were caught in his hair. Smudges covered his cheeks. Myung chuckled as he walked out.


	2. The Fall of the Order: Part Two

Her hair fell in black waves down her back. The dark purple dress that hung to her ankles had gold trim. A slit ran up its side and stopped mid-thigh. She crossed her legs, further exposing her smooth, olive skin. A broad window stretched before her to give a wide view of Ba Sing Se’s skyline. Her tall, gold heels clicked against the sandstone tile every so often. She sat at a long, mahogany desk where a map of the four nations lay, littered with red pins. With her back to her subordinate, her face was hidden. “You really think it’s him?” she asked in a voice reminiscent of smoke.

Her subordinate leaned against the door frame of the office. “He was trained in the praying mantis style. You don’t see that too often nowadays, except from the Beifongs, and one of them is part of the Order.” She ran a hand through her short hair and brushed a spot of dirt from her dark green, form-fitting outfit. “He took down three of us pretty easily, and he’s the right age. Description matches, too. Dark skin, hazel eyes, black hair, scar above his right eye.”

“I see.” The woman in the purple dress looked down at the map in front of her and tapped her heel against the floor. “And you say a woman took him to a tea shop after?”

“I tailed them all the way there.”

The woman reached into the top drawer of her desk and pulled out a green pin. She stuck it in the map where Ba Sing Se sat. “Take a raiding party there, Kiyoko. Prepare for anything.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Kiyoko bowed and turned to leave, but stopped when her leader raised a hand—the sharp, metal nails on her fingertips glinting in the sunlight.

“Bring back the avatar alive.”

“And what of the rest of the Order? The avatar’s sister?”

The woman lowered her hand to the desk, clicking her nails against the wood rhythmically. “Terminate the Order. This must be the end of them. As for the avatar’s sister, tell Bao to bring her to me. It’s time we finish this.”

Kiyoko smirked. “As you wish, Your Grace.”

#

“Twenty more laps! Move it!”

Sahul breathed hard as he finished his thirtieth lap around the training arena while Sifu Xiang barked at him. His lungs burned and his legs ached, but he’d get worse than this if he stopped now. Maybe he should have already learned to keep his mouth shut around Xiang. The old earthbending master was as ruthless as he was cantankerous, but Sahul had a sharp tongue and little patience for his teacher’s lectures on how an irresponsible boy like him was unworthy of being the avatar.

The training arena was a metal dome with a base circumference of 300 meters, meaning Sahul had almost run six miles in the last forty-five minutes. Large discs with square holes rested in the hard earth of the floor. If Sahul was really unlucky, Xiang would toss the discs at him while he was running to make him go faster.

On his thirty-sixth lap, Mai walked in with a scowl on her face. “Sahul, stop,” she said. He gratefully obeyed, slowing to a stop, then collapsing against the wall of the dome. The metal cooled his damp skin. He’d taken his shirt off some time ago, exposing the hard muscle of his upper body. 

“What’s your business here?” Xiang demanded. The veins of his bald scalp seemed to rise in his irritation. His blue eyes narrowed at Mai.

“I have matters to discuss with you privately,” she said, then turned to Sahul. “Return to your room, Sahul. Your training for today is postponed until further notice.”

He bowed to his masters and headed out of the arena. Instead of going to his room, he turned into the second archway in the antechamber and walked down the tunnel to a vast room. Bookcases filled the space, all of them stuffed with novels, textbooks, ancient tomes, bending scrolls, and more. Sahul drifted through the rows of shelves until he came to the history section. He pulled out a book titled  _ The Avatars of the Modern Era: Aang and Korra  _ and sat at the base of the bookshelf with it in his lap. It had the dry, dusty smell of all old books, but the yellowed pages had preserved well considering their age. 

Sahul had discovered the book soon after arriving at the compound almost nine years ago, and he’d loved it from page one. There was something surreal and oddly intimate about reading the stories of his past lives. The only past life he truly sensed was Korra’s, but when he read about Aang, he thought he could feel the memories of the man who’d defeated Fire Lord Ozai and united the four nations nearly two hundred years ago. If only Vaatu hadn’t cut off Korra’s connection to her past lives, Sahul might have been able to sense all of them now. He wished he had their counsel to help him figure out what to do about the Order keeping him here.

Minutes passed in silence while Sahul read. Books were his only glimpse into the outside world. He’d never traveled farther than the compound and the surrounding slums, but in books, he could fly over the Air Nation temples of old, mingle with the crowds of Capital City in the Fire Nation, see the spirit portals in the poles, and visit Republic City. An entire world was waiting to be explored, and he was stuck here.

A boom resounded through the compound, vibrating the marble beneath Sahul. He stood just as Mai ran in. “Sahul! Sahul!” she called. “Damn it! Where are you!”

Sahul ran up to her. “Mai, what’s going on?”

The moment she spotted Sahul, relief appeared on her face. “You need to come with me.” She started between the rows of book shelves. Sahul followed, hearing shouts and sharp bangs in the distance. 

“Mai, what’s going on?” he asked again.

“We’re under attack. I need to get you someplace safe.” She stopped in the back of the library in the bending scrolls section. 

“I won’t leave all of you,” he said adamantly.

She reached between two scrolls and pressed her palm against the wall behind. It slid down into an open doorway leading to a tunnel lined with glowing crystals. She pushed the bookcase out of the way. “Don’t argue with me, Sahul. My job is to keep you safe.”

He grimaced. “And I’m the avatar. It’s my job to keep  _ everyone _ safe.”

She shook her head. “Just follow me.”

“No, I’m not abandoning everyone.”

She scowled, shoved him into the tunnel, and brought the door back up with a thrust of her hand. Sahul heard the grating of the bookcase sliding back into place behind the door as she made pulling motions with her hands. She must have metalbended the frame. Sahul moved to bend the door back down, but in a split second, Mai whipped out two, small sheets of metal. They slammed into Sahul’s wrists and ankles, knocking him to the ground, and wound around his limbs. He struggled against the restraints, but Mai hadn’t taught him metalbending.

She hoisted him over her back in a fireman’s carry and ran through the tunnel. Sahul struggled all the while, uselessly flailing in his restraints. “Let me go, Mai!” he hissed.

She ignored him and kept running. Seconds later, they came up to a dead end. Mai lifted a hand, balled it into a fist, and jerked it down. The wall of earth slid down, revealing the railway. A single train car sat in a tunneled out cavern. It’s round, white body was connected to wires overhead that ran into a tunnel too long to see the other side. 

Sahul struggled more. Mai hurried to the train car. She lowered Sahul onto the floor of the car. “The train will take you to a military base at the edge of the city,” she said quickly. “Ask for your sister by name and say you have this message for her: ‘The pure white has corrupted into black.’ When they ask for your name, tell them you are Wen Ratava, and to tell your sister your name. She’ll understand. Under no circumstances should you reveal you are the avatar, which means no one can know you are Eria’s brother. Is that understood?”

Distant shouting grew louder down the tunnel. Sahul found it hard to breathe. “Can’t you come with me?”

She smiled sadly. “I wish I could.” She kissed his forehead. “No matter what happens, Sahul, I want you to know I love you, and I’m proud of you.”

“I love you, Mai.” Tears streamed down Sahul’s face as the only mother he’d ever known walked out of the car and hit the green button on its side. The doors slid closed, and the train hummed, preparing to take off. Sahul struggled to stand as the train started moving. There were four windows: one in front, two on either side, and one in back. White chairs were embedded into the walls, capable of holding thirty people. 

Sahul hobbled over to the back chairs and looked out the window. Mai stood at the end of the track, green eyes staring into the main tunnel. Two women and a man ran into the room. When they saw the train, one of them started for it. Mai stretched her hands up to the ceiling and brought them down forcefully. Large chunks of earth caved into the tunnel, building a wall between the train and the main room.

“Mai!” Sahul called out—though his voice couldn’t be heard through the glass and the thunder of the rocks collapsing in on each other. 

Mai’s green eyes found Sahul’s through the falling stones. “I’m sorry,” she said inaudibly just before the wall of stone blocked her from Sahul’s view. He curled into himself and sobbed into his bound hands.

#

“In other news, the vigilante, commonly referred to as the ‘Red Demon,’ has been sighted near the Si Wong Desert in the past week. Locals are advised to keep a look out for the dangerous vigilante and to stay indoors during the evening. The bounty for the Red Demon remains three-thousand gold coins. If killed, no award will be given.”

The reporter continued to drone on about national news, failing to report on the real issues. Poverty, government corruption, the wage gap—they were the problem. Petty crime was merely a symptom of it. The man who sat at the bar contemplated this as he stared up at the TV in the corner of the room. His face was mostly covered, hiding any expression he may have made. The light green fabric of his tunic stretched over the lower half his face, hugging his nose, cheekbones, jaw, and neck. A dark green bandana was tied around his head, leaving only a slit for his bright, blue eyes. Odd stripes of pink and white scars surrounded his eyes. A jagged, silvery line ran from beneath the bandana, across the bridge of his nose and disappeared under the long collar of his shirt. 

He stared down at the glass of carbonated water in front of him. His forearms rested on the bar. They were wrapped in strips of black cloth that covered his skin from the palms of his hands to underneath the sleeves of his tunic. Calluses and scars on the visible skin of his hands displayed the years of labor he’d gone through—continued to go through.

A soft breeze blew the short, blond hair peeking from beneath his bandana as the bar door opened. A girl, probably no older than thirteen, walked in. She looked around a moment with tired, brown eyes. When they set on the man, a nervous expression took her face. She walked up cautiously and sat down in the chair beside him. The smell of dirt and smoke clung to her.

“I’m Esha Darzi,” she said and held out a thin, callused hand. 

The man sipped his carbonated water and ignored the girl. She withdrew her hand and frowned. Her brown hair was matted with sweat and dirt. Anyone in the bar, few people that there were, would have recognized her as a child laborer for the desert mines. Most of the locals here couldn’t afford to put their children in school, and they needed more income in order to eat. The Earth Kingdom had banned child labor and required education up to grade 13, but the Si Wong Desert Province had chosen not to enforce the education law and allowed youth to work after age twelve. Families did what they had to in order to survive. The girl was no different.

“Hey, kid!” the bartender called out. “You’re not supposed to be in here.”

She looked urgently at the man. “You have to help my father. He said you would help.”

“You’ve got the wrong person, kid,” the man grumbled, deep voice almost lowered to a growl.

The bartender walked up. “This kid with you?” she asked the man.

“Never seen her before.”

The girl scowled. “My father said you could help. He said, ‘Find the man whose face is hidden, tell him your family name, and he will know that this town needs help.’”

“Kid, if you don’t leave now,” the bartender threatened, “I’m going to drag you out myself.”

She stood, glaring at the man. “You’re supposed to help us! To be a symbol of hope and justice!” Her eyes narrowed. “But you’re nothing but a drunk.” She stomped out. 

The bartender shook her head. “You know what the hell she was talking about?”

The man sipped his carbonated water. “No idea.”


	3. The Fall of the Order: Part Three

As the railcar moved along, Sahul lay on the floor, trying to remember everything he had read about metalbending. It was all about feeling the pieces of earth in it and manipulating that. He could sense the pieces in it, but he couldn’t quite move them. No amount of struggling helped him.

_ Mai would be able to teach me _ , he thought, then immediately felt tears sting his eyes. No, now wasn’t the time to cry. Tears wouldn’t help him. 

He inhaled deeply and focused all his attention on the metal around his wrists. Nothing happened for several minutes, then the metal gave slightly. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough for him to slip his wrists out of the binds. He threw the metal off and grabbed the one at his ankles. It was easier to pull off, but more painful. Mai hadn’t been gentle when restraining him.

The railcar stopped, jolting Sahul into the wall. He cursed and massaged his wrists. They were bruised and aching. His ankles were in a similar state. When he moved his right ankle, a sharp pain pierced through the joint. He didn’t know if the pain was due to being restrained for a long period of time, or if he was injured worse than he thought. 

The doors slid open, but he didn’t move. All he could think of was the sight of Mai as the rocks fell. If the Purists were the ones who’d attacked, she was likely dead. They rarely took prisoners, and to this day, they’d never taken a White Lotus member for reasons other than torture and interrogation. If that was the case, maybe it was better if Mai was dead. 

Sahul held his face in his hands and tried not to think about everything that had just happened. Maybe the Order hadn’t fallen yet. They were strong people. Some of them could have survived. Mai could have survived.

With a tired sigh, Sahul got to his feet and walked out of the railcar. Two lamps were embedded into the rock wall forming the tunnel’s dead end. A ladder ran up the adjacent wall, leading to a metal panel in the ceiling. Sahul moved to climb the ladder, but flexing his right ankle sent a shockwave of pain up his leg. He cursed and bent the surrounding rock into a makeshift splint for his ankle. When he was satisfied with his work, he started up the ladder. His wrists and ankles ached with his movements, but he ignored the discomfort, figuring he could analyze the full extent of his injuries later. At worst, he’d subluxated something. 

The metal panel above was heavy, but he managed to push it up with his shoulder and a great deal of pain from using his legs to push, as it put pressure on his ankle. The panel groaned as it lifted. After a certain point, it flopped back with a loud thud, hitting a concrete floor. Sahul hoisted himself up and pulled the panel back into place. It again groaned, then loudly slammed shut. 

The room Sahul had entered was longer than it was wide, but spacious nonetheless. Metal contraptions lined the walls. Some he recognized as water heaters and filters. Others he didn’t recognize. They all hummed and whirred. Fluorescent lights covered the ceiling, lighting the way to the other end of the room where stairs led up to a door. Sahul started toward the stairs, but stopped when he heard voices on the other side of the door. 

“There were two loud bangs,” a voice said.

“The generator’s probably acting up again,” said another voice. “I don’t know why we had to get those stupid retrofits anyway. My upgrades were perfectly—”

The door opened. A man in a blue jumpsuit stood at the top of the stairs. He stopped talking when he saw Sahul and froze. The woman at his side was in a dark green uniform with the gold, circular insignia of the Earth Kingdom on its shirt front. She whipped a gun out from her belt and pointed it at Sahul, narrowing brown eyes at him. He raised his arms up in surrender.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “How did you get in here?”

Sahul looked her over. He recognized her uniform from a book in the library concerning the Earth Kingdom military. “I want to speak with whoever runs this base.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Turn around and put your hands behind your back.”

He did as told. The crackle of a radio sounded. “Emergency, emergency,” the woman said. “Red, nine-oh-six. Possible unknown intruders. Sweep necessary. Full lockdown requested. Taking an intruder to Room Six. Over.”

A loud alarm rang out. “Copy, Red. Lockdown and sweep ordered. Sending Blue Team to your location. Over.”

“Copy. Out.” The woman hurried down the steps, slapped plastic cuffs on Sahul’s wrists, and patted his body down. “Why’s your foot covered in rock?” she asked, looking down at his makeshift splint.

He glanced back at her. “Hurt my ankle.”

“Doing what?”

He didn’t answer. She narrowed her eyes at him and gripped his upper arm. He didn’t resist as she pushed him up the stairs. The man in the blue jumpsuit stared at Sahul warily and kept his distance.

At the top of the stairs was a long hallway with soft green tile and white walls. Door were interspersed along the sides. The hall was plain but clean. It was common for the Earth Kingdom nowadays to have military facilities with less decor and more efficiency, but that hadn’t always been true, according to  _ Earthly Affairs: A History of the Earth Kingdom Government _ by Baatar Beifong Jr. He was Mai’s uncle, whom she said was formerly an enemy of the state until he realized the error of his ways and became one the most influential advocates for a representative democracy in the Earth Kingdom. 

“So...what’s your name?” Sahul asked the woman as she pushed him down the hall.

She glanced at him sidelong. “You haven’t even told me your name.”

He recalled the name Mai had told him to give. “Wen Ratava.”

“I’m Su Lin Yi.” She turned into another hall where three more soldiers nearly ran into her and Sahul.

“This guy’s the intruder?” one of them asked, a dark-haired woman with round eyes.

“Yeah, some teenager broke in,” Su Lin muttered and pushed Sahul forward. The others followed behind her. 

“Makes you question the security retrofits we just got,” said a brown-haired man.

“How did you get in, kid?” asked a blonde woman.

Sahul assumed he wasn’t supposed to mention the underground railway, so he said, “Like anyone else. Through a door.”

She gave him an unimpressed look. “Su Lin, you caught a smart ass.”

“She sure did,” Sahul muttered. “I’m a rare creature.”

Su Lin shook her head. “No more talking until you see Commander Pham.”

He kept quiet. She guided him through a door and into a room with linoleum flooring and white drywall. A wood table sat in the center with two chairs on opposite sides. Su Lin sat Sahul in a chair, then took a stance in a corner of the room. The three other soldiers took the remaining corners.

A minute passed, and the alarm continued to blare through the base. Sahul waited patiently until it stopped, and a tall woman walked in. She looked to be approaching middle age. Her short, black hair was slicked back from her face, a streak of gray at its front. Unlike the others, her uniform was black and form-fitting. The Earth Kingdom’s gold insignia covered her chest. Sahul had the urge to shrink back when she set piercing, amber eyes on him.

“I’m Commander Anh Pham,” she said in a cold tone, her voice seeming to be naturally raspy. “Who are you?”

“Wen Ratava,” Sahul replied. 

She sat in the chair across from Sahul. “The punishment for breaking into a military base is five years in prison,” she said. “I hope you’re prepared, young man.”

Sahul shrugged. “I don’t know. How do most people prepare for prison? Is there a club?”

Her eyes narrowed. “How did you break in?”

“I said, ‘Open sesame,’ and the door opened.” He caught Su Lin’s grimace in his peripheral vision just before Commander Pham scowled.

“You think this is funny?” she said in an icy voice. “Why did you break in? What are you after?”

Sahul held her glare, letting his pain and anger fuel his determination. “I have a message for Eria Azad.”

That threw Pham off. She cocked a brow. “Captain Azad hasn’t visited this base in almost three months.”

“Does she have access to a phone?”

“Perhaps. What message do you have for her?”

He looked around the room at the other soldiers. They all looked intrigued. “Call her. Tell her Wen Ratava says, ‘The pure white has corrupted into black.’ She’ll understand.”

Pham had a suspicious look, but turned to Su Lin and said, “Bring me the emergency phone.”

Su Lin nodded and hurried out. Pham turned to Sahul again. “How do you know Captain Azad?”

He leaned back in his chair, flinching when he put pressure on his bound wrists. “Good question.”

She waited a moment for him to say more. When he didn’t, she grimaced. “Why break into a military base to deliver a message?”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time. I’m having my doubts now.”

Su Lin walked into the room with a red cell phone. She handed it to Pham, then returned to her corner. Pham dialed quickly and held the phone to her ear. “This is Commander Anh Pham. Patch me through to Captain Eria Azad. I have a message for her from Wen Ratava.” For a moment, Pham didn’t say anything more, then Sahul heard a soft voice through the receiver—though he couldn’t make out any words. 

“Yes,” Pham said, then paused. “He said, ‘The pure white has corrupted into black.’” Pause. “Of course, ma’am.” She lowered the phone from her ear. “Captain Azad would like to speak with you.”

She stood and walked around the table to hold the phone to Sahul’s ear. “Listen carefully,” a warm, familiar voice said. It’d been nine years since Sahul had heard his sister, but he recognized her voice instantly. A lump formed in his throat.

“Do not resist Commander Pham,” she continued. “Do not speak if you don’t have to. Just wait, and I’ll take care of everything.”

“Okay,” Sahul mumbled, voice breaking on the one word. “Are you okay?”

There was a pause, then she said softly, “Yes. Are you?”

“I don’t know. It’s been one hell of a day.”

“Just hang on. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Okay.”

“Let me talk to Anh.”

He looked up at the commander. “She wants to talk with you.”

Pham held the phone to her ear. For a long minute, she didn’t speak, but Sahul watched in that time as her expression became more and more troubled. “I understand, ma’am. I can only give him three days.” Pause. “Yes, of course.” Pause. “Very well.” She hung up and pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. “Su Lin, take Mr. Ratava to the cells. We’re going to hold him for interrogation for three days.”

Su Lin looked confused. “Don’t we have to report him to Command?”

“Under normal circumstances, we would, but Captain Azad has requested we wait. According to regulation, we’re allowed three days to gather information before we must report him.” Pham straightened and opened her eyes to look at Sahul. “Who are you really?”

He stared up at her. “No one important.”

#

The Red Demon stared at the computer screen from behind his red oni mask. His arms, wrapped in black fabric, rested over the mahogany desk in front of him. The horns and fangs of his mask glowed gold in the illumination of the monitor. He flipped through emails that he’d just downloaded onto a flash drive. 

The sconces embedded into the walls of the room lit. Darkness lifted. The sandstone tile and cherry wallpaper became visible. A wine-colored sofa sat on one side, next to a coffee table. The old, overweight man who stood in the doorway to the office stared at the Red Demon.

“How—?” the old man started, but stopped abruptly when the Red Demon stood and pulled the flash drive from the computer’s USB port.

“Good evening, Representative Ming,” the Red Demon said. “I was just looking through your emails. There’s enough evidence here to send you to prison for a long, long time.”

Ming’s bearded face paled. His brown eyes widened. “What do you want? I’ll pay you anything.”

“I don’t want your money.” The Red Demon folded his arms over his chest. “You stole most of it from schools anyway. How do you sleep at night taxing the people of this province into poverty, spending the money on your own selfish desires, and forcing children out of the education system you should have funded with the people’s money? Do you know how many children don’t get an education, then are forced to work in the mines at the age of twelve while you sit comfortably in this mansion?”

“I’ll give all the money back,” Ming said in a rush. “I’ll stop. I promise.”

The Red Demon tucked the flash drive into a pocket of his black pants and buttoned it shut. “Even if I didn’t think you deserved a lifetime in prison, I wouldn’t trust the promise of a man who would force children into labor.”

Ming watched in horror as the Red Demon turned to the open window behind him and climbed through it. The office was on the third floor, but the Red Demon held his hands out to the ground and let out a breath. A spot of earth in the grass turned to soft sand. It rose to catch him. He fell into it unscathed, then lifted his arms and dragged them down again. The sand ejected him and solidified, allowing him to stand on it. 

He looked around the front lawn. Black, iron gates enclosed it, security cameras sitting atop the gate posts at even intervals. Certain wires had been sheared from the cords attached to the cameras. It took skill to determine the type of security system and which wires needed to be broken in order to shut everything down without tripping alarms, but a metalbender with that knowledge was near impossible to stop. Wires were metal after all, as was most technology these days.

The Red Demon ran out the deformed front gate and turned into the vast expanse of desert. Once he was out of sight of Ming’s massive estate, he took his oni mask off. Jagged scars marred his face, running in harsh line across his skin. Some were worse than others, appearing like a mountain range of red. Others were white or pink lines.

He pulled his tunic off, turned it inside out, and slipped it on again, revealing a light green fabric. The collar was long enough that it covered the lower half of his head, fitting snugly to his jaw. He adjusted it to cover his nose and pulled a dark green bandana over his head, so only his eyes showed. The silvery scar across the bridge of his nose looked deeper in the shadows of night. 

His phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pants’ pocket, knowing immediately who was calling him. “Is there a problem, Eria?” he asked.

The sound of her letting out a tired breath came through the speaker. “I hate to do this, but I need a favor.”

His brows rose until they were beneath his bandana. “ _ You _ need a favor?”

“There’s no one else I can trust with this.”

He grimaced. If Eria needed a favor, it was because she was incapable of getting the job done, which meant it was going to be difficult—life-threateningly difficult. “What’s going on?”

There was a long pause, then she said, “The Order of the White Lotus has fallen.”

He blinked. “They...what? Is your brother okay?”

“He’s actually why I called you. Right now, he’s being held at the southern military base in Ba Sing Se.”

“Anh’s base? How’d he end up there?”

“I’m not sure, but they’re holding him there for breaking in.”

The Red Demon’s brows furrowed. “He broke into Anh’s base? Either she’s getting rusty, or he’s a magician.”

Eria chuckled. “If he were, I doubt he’d need help getting out.”

The Red Demon frowned. “That’s the favor, isn’t it? You want me to break him out.”

“I don’t know anyone else who could pull it off—much less anyone else I could trust with protecting my brother. I would do it myself, but I’m five days out from Ba Sing Se. Anh says she can hold Command off for three days, but after that, they’re going to move him to Heng Fa Prison. I can’t get to him in there.”

The Red Demon trailed a finger over the scar running over his nose and closed his eyes. “If I get caught again, I will not let myself live through more of their torture. I can’t do that again. I’d rather die.”

She didn’t reply immediately, and when she did, it was to mumble, “I understand.”

He took a deep breath. “I’ll get your brother out.”

“Thank you.” She let out a relieved breath. “When you get him out, take him to the Banyan-Grove tree. I’ll meet you there in five days.”

“Got it.” He touched the oni mask in his tunic. “Does it matter if the Red Demon rescues him?”

“Not really. We’ll all be fugitives after this. I don’t see why it would matter if he’s associated with a known vigilante or not.” After a pause, she added, “And don’t call yourself the Red Demon. You’re Jaga Torpaq, not a monster.”

He had his doubts about that. “Take care of yourself, Eria. I’ll see you in five days.”

“You better.” She hung up.

He put his phone back in his pocket and tried to think of a plan. Ba Sing Se was a day away by train. That gave him a decent amount of time to make a plan. Of course, the military base had probably been upgraded since he’d last visited some three years ago, so he didn’t know what to expect of their security system.

“All right,” he mumbled to himself. “Let’s wing it.”


	4. The Red Demon: Part One

Sahul lay in his cot, staring up at the wood ceiling. Other than the meals he got for breakfast and dinner, no one spoke with him—save for a grunted “Eat.” Su Lin was his guard. She stood outside the wood beams of his cell with her back to him. He hadn’t taken a good look at her when they’d first met, but being the only other human being he saw regularly, she was familiar to him now. Her hair was black and always tied back in a tight bun. She looked young, too—probably not much older than Sahul—with big, brown eyes. 

“Where are you from?” he asked her.

She remained silent, as she had every time he’d attempted conversation.

“What’s an earthbender’s favorite type of music?”

Silence.

“Rock.”

Her slender shoulders shook slightly with repressed laughter. Encouraged, Sahul sat up and smiled. “How many firebenders does it take to screw in a lightbulb?” he asked.

She turned slightly to look at him. “How many?”

“A hundred. One to change the bulb and ninety-nine to mutter about how much better they could have done it.” 

She laughed. “Those are terrible jokes.”

He grinned wryly. “You laughed, didn’t you?”

She rolled her eyes. “Only because they were so terrible.”

“If you insist.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “How’d you get into the military anyway?”

She shrugged. “My parents were in the military. My brothers were, too. It just seemed like that’s what I should do.”

“Do you like it?”

“I do, actually.” She gave him a curious look. “And what do you do besides break federal law to deliver messages to powerful military leaders?”

He quirked his lips in thought. “Hmm...I guess you could say I’m a social worker.”

Her brows rose. “A social worker?”

“Yeah. I’m supposed to go around and help people.”

“You’re still a teenager. Who do you help?”

“Good question. I have no idea.” He shook his head. “I’m terrible at my job anyway. Still new at it, though, so I guess I have time to figure things out.”

“Not if you land in prison.” She had an odd look. “You seem awfully carefree for someone facing five years in prison.”

He shrugged. “It could be worse. I could be facing the Purists.”

Her expression darkened. “Don’t joke about that. The Purists are the biggest terrorist organization in the world currently.”

“I know.” Sahul ran a hand through his hair tiredly. “They killed my parents.”

She blinked in shock, then turned sympathetic. “I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago. I can’t even remember what they looked like.” He forced a smile. “But my sob story’s probably not that interesting to you. Say, how well do you know your avatar history?”

If she was fazed by the sudden turn in conversation, she didn’t show it. “I suppose as well as anyone else.”

“Do you know why Aang had such a hard time learning earthbending?”

“Why?”

“It was too Toph.”

A smile slowly spread her lips, as if she’d tried and failed to resist it. “That was a terrible pun.”

He had a wry look. “That’s why it’s hilarious.”

She shook her head, but her smile remained. “Those kinds of jokes should be illegal.”

“If that happened, I’d be serving consecutive life sentences.”

“I don’t doubt it.” She cocked a brow. “Just how old are you anyway?”

“Sixteen.”

Her eyes narrowed. “And you’re familiar with Captain Azad?”

“I suppose that’s one way to put it.”

“Her brother was the avatar, you know.”

Sahul forced himself to remain composed, but his heart was speeding up with every second. “Yeah. What about it?”

Su Lin shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just you two look kind of similar, and you’re about the same age that her brother would have been. And both her parents and your parents were killed by the Purists. Of course, the avatar disappeared nine years ago. He’s probably dead.”

“Probably.” Sahul averted his gaze, heart hammering. “The new avatar would be a firebender, right?”

“Sure, if Azad’s brother is actually dead. I don’t think he is, if he’s sitting right in front of me.”

Sahul’s heart skipped a beat. He met Su Lin’s eyes. “You don’t really believe I’m the avatar, do you? I’m just some troublemaking teenager.”

She had a knowing look. “Who managed to break into one of the most secure military bases in Ba Sing Se without alerting anyone.”

“What can I say? It’s a talent.”

She let out a tired breath. “Do you not take anything seriously?”

He leaned back against the wall. “Being serious is boring and generally unpleasant.”

“Life must be hilarious to you.”

With a solemn expression, he mumbled, “It’s the best joke of all.”

She was about to reply when a computerized voice came over the speakers. “Warning. Generator malfunction. Low power mode will activate in one minute.”

Su Lin cursed just as a voice over her radio said, “Prepare for blackout.” She pulled the flashlight from her belt while muttering to herself. “Damn it, Iggy. You and your stupid upgrades always messing things up. Why can’t you just fix things when you’re supposed to, not make them worse?”

The lights went out. Sahul stood just as Su Lin turned her flashlight on. There weren’t any windows, so it was almost completely dark. The light color of the walls helped to disperse light a little. “This was just what I needed today,” Su Lin grumbled. “Wen, sit tight. Iggy will have the generator back on in a bit...hopefully.”

Sahul sighed and closed his eyes. Sight was virtually useless now. He tried to do as Mai taught him, sensing the vibrations in the ground with earthbending, but the floor was wood. It would absorb a fair amount of shock. How much, Sahul didn’t know. All he knew was that he was not only inexperienced but unable to get an accurate reading.

He opened his eyes just as Su Lin yelped. Her flashlight clattered to the floor. Sahul could make out the silhouette of a bulky form in the dim light. It moved swiftly, darting in and out of view. After some rustling, Sahul heard his door unlock and creak open. “Take two steps to your right,” a deep voice said, “then walk forward until I tell you to stop.”

Sahul hesitated before doing as told. He didn’t know if the man was here to rescue him or kill him. Either seemed like a possibility. “Stop,” the man said after Sahul had taken four steps forward. “Your sister sent me to get you out. We don’t have much time.”

Sahul jumped when something rough grabbed his wrist, but the touch was soon replaced by something soft. It encircled his wrist tightly, but not painfully so. “This is just a line of fabric to keep you connected with me,” the man said. “Don’t lose your grip on it.”

“Who are you?” Sahul asked, gripping the extension of fabric around his wrist.

“Let’s go.” 

There was a soft tug on the fabric. Sahul followed the pull, but stopped when he heard Su Lin’s voice mumble weakly, “I waited nine years for you to come back, avatar. Don’t mess up.”

Sahul looked back, but he couldn’t see Su Lin. “I think you have me confused with someone else.”

Her chuckle rang softly in the darkness. “Just get out of here, smart ass. I don’t want you back here.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Sahul turned and started away with the man, following the pull of fabric. He couldn’t see at all, but the man’s steps were sure as he ran through the base. Sahul guessed he was a much more experienced earthbender who’d actually mastered the vibration-sensing technique.

After a minute, the man said, “Stop.”

Sahul froze in place and waited. A second later, the lights came back on, and Sahul saw his rescuer. He was a tall man, dressed entirely in black. The fabric Sahul held onto was part of the wrappings on the man’s right arm. The unwrapped portion of his palm and wrist were riddled with scars that disappeared under the rest of the wrapping. Sahul stared at them for only a moment before his eyes set on the red oni mask covering the man’s face.

“Oh, hell,” Sahul muttered. “You’re that vigilante, the Red Demon. My sister sent a vigilante to break me out.”

“Shh.” The man’s blue eyes darted from side to side through the eye holes in his mask. He cursed softly just before two groups of soldiers came from either side. Among them was Commander Pham. She glared at the man.

“Red Demon, you are under arrest,” she said. “Hand over the boy.”

Sahul shook his head. “Hey, I have an idea. Let’s not hand over the boy.”

The man glanced down at Sahul just before he sprinted down another hall. Sahul followed, keeping up easily. For once, he was thankful for Sifu Xiang’s insistence on vigorous running. They turned down several halls, narrowly avoiding soldiers along the way, until they came to a pair of metal double doors. Windows were on either side of the doors, showing what looked to be the base’s front lawn and southeastern Ba Sing Se.

“We’re leaving out the front door?” Sahul said in disbelief.

The man took a stance, facing his palms toward his chest, then stepped forward and thrust his hands out toward the doors. The metal gave, flinging outward. Alarms went off. When the man ran out the door, Sahul went after him, unsure of the soundness of this plan, but unable to come up with another. 

A chain link fence surrounded the front lawn, and the road leading out of the base was guarded by a blockade. “Stop!” Commander Pham shouted from the front door. Sahul glanced back at her just as he turned with the man toward the northern side of the fence. Pham raised her gun and fired twice. The first bullet missed. The second bullet caught the side of the man’s leg. He fell to the ground with a grunt, clutching his wound. 

Sahul stopped. “Just go!” the man yelled, looking back at Pham who was running toward them. 

Panicked and unwilling to leave his rescuer behind, Sahul planted his feet firmly into the ground and pulled his hands up slowly. They shook with effort as a massive barrier of rock gradually emerged from the ground across the whole lawn. Once it was high enough to go over Sahul’s head, he pulled the man to his feet.

“You’re an idiot,” the man grumbled as he limped beside Sahul as quickly as he could.

Sahul swept his arm out toward the fence when they neared. A line of rock rose up from the ground and concentrated as a spike that erupted over the fence. With a downward thrust of his arm, Sahul sent the spike back into the earth, taking the fence with it. He hobbled over the chain links with his rescuer. The man pulled a sheet of earth from the ground and wrapped it around his bleeding thigh.

“When you get to that tree,” he said, pointing to it, “stop.”

Sahul headed for the tree, almost dragging the man with him. Soldiers were climbing over and breaking through the barrier he’d erected. When the bullets started whizzing by, Sahul pulled a protective covering of rock over himself and the man. It probably wouldn’t stop the bullets, but some protection was better than none.

At the tree, Sahul stopped and made a full barrier of rock. The man wrapped an arm around Sahul’s waist. “Hold on,” he said.

Sahul didn’t know what the man was doing until the earth suddenly gave beneath his feet, and they fell through. A second later, they landed on something hard. The man grunted in pain as his leg made contact with the wet concrete beneath him. “Close the hole,” he said through his teeth. “Make it clean. If they don’t know we went underground, they won’t look for us here.”

Sahul looked up at the hole they’d just made and lifted his hands toward it. He quickly but carefully slammed his hands together. The earth closed up overhead, sending them into darkness. “I can’t see anything,” Sahul said. “Are you okay?”

“Peachy,” the man muttered. “I can see perfectly fine. We need to keep moving.”

“You got shot.”

“And if they find us, I’ll get more than shot.” The sound of the man’s rapid breathing filled whatever cavern they’d entered. “Kneel down.”

Sahul knelt, and then a heavy arm fell over his back. “Help me up,” the man said.

Carefully, Sahul rose, pulling the man with him. “Mind telling me who you are now? Unless you prefer the name ‘Red Demon.’”

“I’m Jaga Torpaq. I was in the military with your sister for several years.” Jaga started moving in a direction. Sahul helped him along the way. They were going slower than they had earlier, but still too fast for someone with a gunshot wound. 

“Didn’t look like you were in the military while they were shooting at you,” Sahul muttered.

“I was dishonorably discharged.”

Sahul frowned. “Why?”

Jaga sighed, but then inhaled sharply in pain. “Long story, but your sister is the one who saved me.” He grunted as his leg wobbled. “I wouldn’t be saving you if it weren’t for her.”

Sahul wasn’t sure if he should have been afraid of someone who’d been dishonorably discharged. Eria certainly trusted Jaga, but was she also a traitor? Or was Jaga wrongly convicted, and Eria knew it?

“I didn’t betray my country,” Jaga said, as if reading Sahul’s thoughts. “I was framed.”

The avatar’s brows furrowed. “Who would want to frame you?”

“Again, long story, and I’d rather not tell it while we’re still running for our lives, if you don’t mind.”

Sahul’s eyes shifted around, but he couldn’t see anything. “Where are we?”

“Ba Sing Se’s underground irrigation system.” Jaga suddenly became heavier, nearly making Sahul stumble. “Shit, I lost feeling in my leg. You wouldn’t happen to have a grasp on firebending yet, would you? Some light would be nice right about now.”

“No. Sorry. I’ve only learned earthbending.”

Jaga sighed. “It’s hard to see without both my feet.”

“I could give it a shot.”

There was pause, then Jaga asked, “Are you wearing shoes?”

“Yeah.”

“Take them off.”

Sahul awkwardly took his shoes off, still supporting Jaga as he did so. When he stood barefoot, Jaga said, “Good, now feel the stone beneath your feet. Imagine it as an extension of yourself.”

Sahul focused on the cold concrete beneath him, feeling its rough surface. He sensed the sturdiness of it, but also its malleability. If he wanted, he could have sunk into it. “Good,” Jaga said. “Now, feel the individual pieces that form the stone. Feel how they all fit together.”

The pieces of earth in the concrete became clearer the more Sahul focused on them. As Jaga said, they formed a pattern that fit together like pieces of a puzzle. To shift any one of them would alter the entire puzzle.

“Okay, now, stomp down,” Jaga said. “Tell me what you feel.”

Sahul lifted his foot, then stomped it into the floor. The pieces shifted in a ripple-like pattern that suddenly brought the world into perspective. Water flowing over the floor near Sahul shifted differently than the concrete wall curving up to the ceiling. A bend just a few steps ahead led into another tunnel. “There’s a turn coming up,” Sahul said.

“Very good,” Jaga said with pleasant surprise obvious in his voice. “Do you know how far it is?”

“Um...six or seven steps?”

“You can’t rely on sight, Sahul. You’re going to have to be as accurate as you can, okay?”

Sahul nodded—though Jaga probably couldn’t see the gesture. They continued onward. Jaga gave instructions on which turns needed to be taken. Sahul ran into pipes emerging from the floor four times, but Jaga was patient with him, giving him detailed instructions and guiding him. Eventually, Jaga brought them to a stop.

“Do you see the ladder anywhere?” he asked.

Sahul stomped on the ground. A ladder became visible on the left wall. “It’s four steps to the left.”

“Okay, follow it up, and it’ll take you to a street just a block from an inn.”

Sahul frowned. “I’m not leaving without you.”

Jaga let out a tired sigh. “I can’t climb up the ladder. You have to go alone.”

“I can earthbend you up.” 

“Without bringing the tunnel down on us?”

Sahul almost laughed at the suggestion. He’d trained for nine years in tunnels. There was nothing he didn’t know about them, which included how to maintain them. “It’s no problem at all.” He brought Jaga over to the ladder. “If you don’t think you can stand on your own while I lift you, you should sit.”

Jaga slowly lowered to the floor, clutching his thigh. Sahul felt the ground around Jaga. It was taking weight, but not enough to make the tunnel collapse. Sahul planted his feet onto the ground, focused on the piece of concrete he wanted to lift, and made an open palm strike toward it. The concrete cracked out of place. Sahul took a deep breath before raising his hands slowly. Jaga rose on the concrete piece until he was almost up against the panel at the top of the ladder. 

Sahul made slow work of climbing up the ladder, as he had to put part of his concentration on keeping the concrete afloat. When he reached the top, his arms were shaking, and he was breathing hard. “You going to make it?” Jaga asked.

“Let’s find out,” Sahul grumbled and pushed against the panel at the top. He shouldered it open and slid it out. The light of a street lamp nearly blinded him after walking through absolute darkness for so long. When his eyes adjusted, he carefully lifted himself onto the street, making sure to keep Jaga afloat as he clambered up.

“If you drop me, I’ll kill you,” Jaga grumbled.

“If I drop you, you’ll be dead.” Sahul guided the piece of concrete to the open hole and lifted Jaga through it.

“I’d still kill you,” Jaga muttered and slid onto the street. Sahul carefully guided the concrete back down into its place. He made sure to reform the bonds between the concrete, so the tunnel was whole again. 

Dried blood covered Jaga’s leg. He still had his thigh wrapped in rock, but it seemed to be doing little for the bleeding. A trickle of red ran out from beneath the wrap and down his calf. Sahul marveled at the fact that Jaga was still conscious. “You need medical attention,” Sahul said and pushed the panel back into place with his bare foot. “We should stop by a pharmacy, and you need to take the mask off.”

Jaga shook his head. “You need to turn around while I take the mask off.”

“What—I carry you across the city through the sewer, but I can’t see your face?”

“It wasn’t the sewers. It was the irrigation system. And, yes, you can’t see my face. Don’t look.”

Sahul sighed and turned around. A few seconds later, Jaga told him he could look. Sahul turned back around to see Jaga in a light green tunic with a collar that covered his lower face and a bandana covering the top of his head, so only his eyes were visible. Scars edged the skin around his eyes. Sahul understood why Jaga wanted to keep his face hidden.

“Who did all that?” Sahul asked.

Jaga didn’t ask for clarification. “The Earth Kingdom is merciless with traitors, and even more merciless with those who would expose their secrets.”

Sahul helped Jaga to his feet. “Thanks for breaking me out.”

“This was a one-time only deal, you know.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Sahul started down the street toward a building labeled  _ Pharmacy _ in neon lights, half carrying Jaga as he shuffled along. “You’re not so bad for a vigilante with a name like ‘Red Demon.’”

“Keep talking, kid. I may have a bullet in my leg, but I’ll kick your ass.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

They limped down the street together.


	5. The Red Demon: Part Two

Jaga didn’t quite know what to think of Sahul. The kid was just a teenager, but he acted like an old man in some ways. After getting first aid supplies at the pharmacy, they’d checked into a nearby inn, and Sahul had wasted no time setting Jaga on a chair in their room and working on his leg.

“Okay, breathe,” Sahul said gently as he hovered his hand over Jaga’s wound. “It’ll be over in a second.”

Jaga was about to protest being spoken to like a child by some kid, but then he felt the bullet in his leg move. He gritted his teeth against the pain as Sahul metalbent the bullet out. 

“There,” the avatar said with a smile. “That wasn’t so bad.”

“Are you patronizing me?” Jaga asked.

Sahul’s brows rose. “Why would you think that?”

“You’re talking to me like a child who scraped his knee.”

Sahul blinked and pulled gauze and antiseptic from the pharmacy bag. “Sorry, I don’t really know what to do in these situations. The only person I’ve fixed up is myself, and one of my masters… She always talked to me like that when she bandaged me.”

Jaga narrowed his eyes. There was something in the avatar’s eyes—something cold and sad. He may have been young, but he knew pain. “Where have you been for the past nine years?” Jaga asked as Sahul cleaned out his wound.

“An underground compound in the outskirts of Ba Sing Se.”

“Why’d you le—ow!” Jaga hissed as the antiseptic flowed into his wound and burned. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Sahul said quickly and pat the wound gently with the gauze. 

Jaga released a slow breath. “It’s fine. Just stitch me up.”

Sahul nodded and took a needle and thread from the bag. “Were you going to ask why I left?”

“Yes.”

The avatar skillfully began stitching Jaga’s wound. “The compound belonged to the Order of the White Lotus. Purists raided it.”

“So it’s true that the Order is dead now.”

Sahul flinched at that, and a pang of guilt shot through Jaga. Whatever the kid had seen down in that compound had probably scarred him for life. 

“There were a lot of them,” Sahul mumbled. “I could hear them in the compound, and my masters’ screaming. One of them, Mai—she sent me to the base, but...I think she sacrificed herself in the process. Eria is the only family I have left.”

Jaga frowned. “And you haven’t even seen her in nearly a decade.”

Sahul finished the stitches and snipped the extra thread with a shard of stone from the floor. “What’s she like now?”

Jaga stared down at the avatar. He had the same hazel eyes and tawny skin as his sister. They really did look similar. “She’s a captain of the Recon Scouts—the second youngest in history.”

“Who’s the youngest?”

“Me.”

Sahul’s brows lifted as he took clean gauze and bandages from the bag. He wrapped Jaga’s wound. “You were a captain before you were discharged?”

“No, I was a lieutenant colonel.”

“Is that better than captain?”

“It’s a higher rank.”

Sahul finished bandaging Jaga’s leg and stood. “Why’d they discharge you?”

Jaga sighed, unwilling to dwell on those memories. “Thanks for fixing up my leg, kid. Now go to sleep. I’ve gotta get you to the banyan-grove tree tomorrow.”

“That’s far away.”

“Exactly. We’re getting up at dawn.”

“Will my sister be there?”

“She’ll be there in three days.”

Sahul sat on his own bed, facing Jaga. Their room was little more than a cube, just big enough for the beds and a dresser between them. A lamp atop the dresser provided dim illumination. 

“What will you do after she comes?” Sahul asked. “Will you stay with us?”

Jaga lay back on his bed. “Go to sleep, kid.”

Sahul sighed and shoved a hand through his dark hair. “The Order was supposed to send me off to do training with masters of other elements, but I was never taught metalbending or any of the specialized earthbending techniques.”

Jaga closed his eyes. “You don’t want me as a teacher.”

“Eria doesn’t bend, though.”

“I don’t teach anymore.”

“Anymore?” There was a note of curiosity, or maybe hope, in Sahul’s voice. 

Jaga turned onto his side, so his back faced the avatar. He was silent. Eventually, there was the soft creak of Sahul lying back on his bed, then a click as he shut off the lamp.

#

“Captain Azad.”

Eria looked up from her desk as Lieutenant Tikaani walked into her cabin. Their train was moving at full speed back to Ba Sing Se, but they were still days out. Eria had decided to make plans for her and her brother, stowing away in her cabin for hours at a time. By the look on her lieutenant’s face, Tikaani was beginning to worry about her new habits.

“Is there something you need, lieutenant?” Eria asked, stilling her pen on the paper she had been writing on. She always wrote her notes in coded script that wasn’t taught by the military. It frustrated her superiors to no end, but there were no regulations concerning personal notes.

Tikaani gripped the doorway as the train shifted slightly. She looked ill, her russet skin paler than normal. “Sorry to interrupt, captain, but our prisoner has started to show signs of regaining his bending again.”

Eria sighed and stood. “Would you like me to fix your motion sickness as well?”

Tikaani nodded as Eria walked out of the cabin and trailed behind her captain. Their prisoner was in a cabin near the back of the train car. Tikaani looked away from the desert landscape whizzing past the windows as they walked. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight, flawless bun, and the pale green military uniform fitting snugly to her body didn’t have a wrinkle or stain on it. She liked stability and order. Zooming a train made her feel out of control. Eria might have been amused by it if she didn’t have more pressing things on her mind.

She opened the door to the prisoner’s cabin where two guards stood on either side of a man shackled to the floor. He was dressed in a form-fitting, black suit. His figure was slimmer than most men, but it was deceptive. He was muscled, agile, and deadly. Amber eyes stared up at Eria, bright and piercing. Steam escaped his nose. His beard ruffled slightly with his breath. 

“Captain Eria,” he greeted in a low, raspy voice. “Lovely to see you again.”

Eria stepped closer. “Save your breath, Phantom. It may be your last.”

“Ooh, I’m shaking in my chains.” He smirked. “Let’s get this over with.”

She took a breath and quickly jabbed several points over his body, blocking the chi that allowed him to bend. He sagged to the floor. Half of his head was shaved, but the other half of his black hair fell to his shoulders. It splayed out over ground as he stared up at Eria. She nearly shivered at his gaze. Something about his eyes always made her feel like he could see inside her.

“Until next time,” he said with a small smile. 

Eria narrowed her eyes, noticing something off about his beard. She stood over him and yanked the hair. It tore off, revealing the face of a woman. “Oh, dear,” the Phantom said. “It seems I’ve been discovered.”

Eria grimaced. “Who are you?”

“You can keep calling me Phantom. It gives me a thrill.”

Tikaani grabbed Eria’s arm. “Captain, it doesn’t matter what gender he—she...whatever—is. Our orders are to deliver the Phantom.”

“Well, she’s doubtlessly that,” Eria muttered. “Let’s go.”

Tikaani followed her captain out of the prisoner’s cabin as the Phantom mumbled, “How I love to watch you leave.”

Tikaani shuddered as she walked with Eria back to the captain’s cabin. “Ugh, how can you stand being on this thing?”

Eria chuckled and gestured to her bed. “Lie down. I’ll make everything better.”

The lieutenant lay on the mattress as Eria closed and locked her door. “To think the Phantom had been living as a man for all this time,” Tikaani mumbled. “You think she binds her chest?”

“I honestly don’t care.” Eria sat on the bed’s edge and pressed her fingers into spots along Tikaani’s abdomen. 

The lieutenant tensed for only a moment, then relaxed and breathed deeply. “Much better.”

Eria worked her way up the sides of the lieutenant’s ribs. Tikaani stared up at her. “You locked your door earlier.”

“I did.”

“How sly.”

Eria lowered her hands to Tikaani’s hips. “Do you have any more duties to fulfill today?”

“You know I don’t.” Tikaani cupped Eria’s cheek. “I think you need a break.”

Eria untied Tikaani’s perfect bun, letting dark waves spill over her pillow. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

Tikaani pulled Eria down to her lips, and distantly, the laughter of the Phantom drifted to the captain’s ears.

#

The train was nearly empty. Sahul kept his head bowed and his hood up as it rolled onward. Jaga sat beside him with his arms crossed and blue eyes staring out the windows at the city of Ba Sing Se shrinking on the horizon. Sahul gingerly touched his ankle. It had felt better when he’d been able to rest it at the military base, but the bruises of where Mai had restrained him remained. His chest constricted thinking about it. 

How had the Purists found their compound? They hadn’t been able to discover it in the nine years that Sahul had been there, and the Order had always been careful.

Sahul’s stomach sank. He’d gone outside the day before the attack. Maybe there’d been a Purist out who’d recognized him and followed him and Mai back to the compound.

“It does no good to dwell on the past, kid,” Jaga said suddenly.

Sahul glanced up at the vigilante. “What?”

“You go through enough war, and you start to notice the way a man’s eyes look when he’s haunted by his past. You have that look.”

Sahul leaned back in his chair. “It’s my fault the Order fell,” he said quietly, so no one else would hear.

Jaga’s brow disappeared under his bandana as it lifted. “No offense, kid, but I don’t think a sixteen-year-old who’s not even fully trained could take down an ancient order of elite warriors.”

“I broke the rules.” Sahul pushed his hair back from his face. “I was only allowed to go outside once a year, and that was with supervision. I snuck out, and...I think a Purist saw me. They must have followed me back to the compound.”

Jaga was silent a long moment. “They only let you outside once a year for nine years.” His voice was low with a note of disbelief in it. 

“It was for my protection.”

“Still, that’s…” Jaga trailed off and shook his head. “So you’ve never been anywhere else in the world?”

Sahul rubbed his arm nervously, afraid of where this conversation would go. Maybe Jaga would judge him more for his lack of experience. “Sure, I’ve been all over the world in just a couple days.” When Jaga’s eyes narrowed, Sahul sighed and continued, “The library in the compound was huge, and it had everything. When I was feeling especially isolated, Mai would read to me from history books and fiction from across the world. I think I’d read everything in that library by the time I was twelve. It wasn’t anything close to experiencing the world for myself, but I was able to imagine what it was like.”

Jaga didn’t speak, and Sahul didn’t expect him to. The avatar crossed his legs over the seat and examined the bruises on his ankles. Jaga glanced down at them curiously. “The military do that to you?” he asked.

“No, Mai did. I was trying to fight the Purists in the compound, so she restrained me and sent me off.”

“Smart woman.”

Sahul trailed a finger over the bruises. “Yeah, but I should have stayed.”

“You would have died.”

The avatar scowled. “It’s my job to protect people.”

“No, it isn’t.” Jaga stared down at Sahul with solemn eyes. “That’s something some idiot made up. You have power, but it’s not your job to be a hero. That’s something you have to choose for yourself.”

Sahul blinked. He’d never considered that he had a choice in the matter. As the avatar, he’d just assumed that he was supposed to be the protector of the world, but there wasn’t anything stopping him from using his power however he liked. He didn’t have to save everyone. He didn’t have to care.

“A lot of the world assumes that the avatar is supposed to be good,” Jaga said, voice barely above a whisper, “but you’ll never get very far if you act as if this way of life was imposed on you. You were born the avatar. You weren’t born a hero. You choose your own path.”

“What if people don’t like the path I choose?”

“That’ll happen regardless of what you do or don’t do. The important part is that don’t live under the illusion that your destiny has already been forged for you.”

Sahul didn’t know how to reply to that, and Jaga didn’t seem to expect a reply. They sat in silence as Sahul dwelled on Jaga’s words. The vigilante was a hard man to figure out. He didn’t seem to harbor any ill will toward the military, even though he’d been framed and dishonorably discharged. And the scars on his face… 

“Who framed you?” Sahul asked.

Jaga’s phone rang. He answered it immediately. “Any updates?” He paused. “He’s fine.” Pause. “See you soon.”

“Was that Eria?” Sahul asked hopefully.

Jaga pocketed his phone. “Yes, her train is a day ahead of schedule.”

Sahul smiled. “So I’ll get to see her sooner?”

Something like amusement flashed in Jaga’s eyes for a moment, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. “Yes.”

Sahul was about to say something else when he suddenly froze and spun around. A spirit, no larger than a cat owl, hovered above his head. It was humanoid with a glowing red body that was neither male nor female. Six lanky arms sprouted from its torso. It stared at him with curious, wary eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” Jaga asked.

The spirit glanced at the vigilante, then back to Sahul. “Where are you going, young avatar?” it asked in a voice like honey.

“The banyan-grove tree.”

“What do you seek there?”

“Sahul, who are you talking to?” Jaga asked.

The spirit narrowed its eyes at the vigilante. “Your companion has no spiritual sensitivity to speak of. He will not fare well in the Swamp.”

Sahul lowered his eyes. “We have nowhere else to go.”

The spirit sat itself on Sahul’s shoulder. “You are desperate then.”

“We are.”

It looked Sahul over. “You are in tune with your spiritual senses. Perhaps a result of your previous life’s venture through our realm.”

“Korra?”

“Her wife will be pleased to know you are in good health.” The spirit glanced at Jaga again. “There is someone very interested in both of you on this train—a man in a black jacket. He has been watching you since you got on. Take this information as you will, avatar. You may not be safe.”

“Thank you for telling me.” Sahul rummaged in his pockets until he found the bag of lychee nuts Jaga had bought him earlier. He held one out to the spirit. It smiled and took the offering.

“You are a well-mannered avatar,” the spirit said and bit into the nut. “It’s quite refreshing.”

Sahul smiled and surreptitiously glanced around the train car. At the far end was a man in a black jacket with his hood drawn up to hide his face. “I see him.”

The spirit nodded and disappeared, the lychee nut going with it. “Good luck, avatar.”

When Sahul turned to Jaga, the vigilante was scowling. “You speak with spirits?” Jaga’s voice was hard. 

“It told me we’re being watched,” Sahul whispered. “The man in the black jacket at the end.”

Jaga glanced at the man in question. “We’ll get off at the next stop. If he follows, I’ll kill him.”

“We don’t know if he’s bad.” Sahul glanced back at the man. “If he follows, we should talk with him first.”

Jaga shook his head. “You’re too trusting, kid.”

“Please.” Sahul stared up at the vigilante. “I don’t want to hurt someone innocent.”

Jaga didn’t answer immediately, but let out a tired breath. “Fine. Have it your way.”

Sahul smiled. “Thank you.”

“Just don’t blame me if it goes south.”

“We are going south.”

Jaga rolled his eyes. “That smart mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day.”

Sahul chuckled and leaned back in his seat. In the corner of his eye, he saw the man in the black jacket shift in his seat. 


End file.
